Applying quality function deployment in industrial design curriculum planning

Industrial design is a discipline that combines multiple professional fields. Enterprise demands for industrial design competencies also change over time; thus, the curriculum of industrial design education should be compatible with the current demands of the industry. However, scientific approaches have not been previously employed to plan industrial design curriculums. Therefore, a gap exists between the expectations of enterprises and the professional competencies of numerous graduates in the industrial design discipline. To solve this problem, we first identified the professional competencies required of industrial design professionals in industry and academia, and then ranked these competencies based on their degree of importance using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). Subsequently, we planned an industrial design curriculum that meets practical workplace needs by applying quality function deployment (QFD), and proposed items that require special attention for the industrial design curriculum. The results of this study are as follows (1) we obtained a ranking of various items of the professional competencies in industrial design based on their degree of importance to determine which professional competencies should be specifically cultivated; (2) we planned an industrial design curriculum that addresses the needs of enterprises according to industrial design ability index (IDAI); and (3) we recommend the courses and subjects that should be emphasized and enhanced in the existing industrial design curriculum.